Uppland Runic Inscription Fv1953;263
Encyclopedia
Uppland Runic Inscription Fv1953;263 or U Fv1953;263 is the Rundata
catalog listing for a Viking Age
memorial
runestone that was discovered at Helenelund, which is in Barkarby
, Stockholm County
, Sweden
, which was in the historic province of Uppland
.
. This is the classification for text within runic bands with serpent or beast heads that are depicted in profile with almond-shaped eyes. The text, unlike many Viking Age inscriptions, is read from the tail of the serpent counterclockwise towards its head. A cross
is near the top of the stone. The stone was discovered during construction of an access road on October 20, 1953, and is currently raised at the entrance to the Kummeby church.
The runic text, which is missing in one section of the damaged runestone, states that the stone was raised by Helga in memory of her husband Svertingr and her sons Eysteinn and Hemingr. The text ends with "and Ígulfastr," who is understood as being the runemaster
who carved the inscription. U Fv1953;263 is the only surviving runestone signed by Ígulfastr, although the inscription on U 961
in Vaksala states that it was arranged by Ígulfastr and carved by the runemaster Öpir
. Stylistically the work of Ígulfastr is very similar to that of Öpir, although it is not known which runemaster influenced the other. The runic text uses a bind rune
, which is a ligature, combining an a-rune and l-rune
in the name Svertingr. In addition, the runemaster connected the u-rune
and l-rune in his signature. In some names on runestones, bind runes may have been ornamental and used to highlight the name. Lastly, an h-rune
was left off at the beginning of the names Helga and Hemingr.
The Rundata designation for this Uppland inscription, U Fv1953;263, refers to the year and page number of the issue of Fornvännen
in which the runestone was first described. The runestone is known locally as the Kummelbystenen.
Rundata
The Scandinavian Runic-text Data Base is a project involving the creation and maintenance of a database of runic inscriptions. The project's goal is to comprehensively catalog runestones in a machine-readable way for future research...
catalog listing for a Viking Age
Viking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
memorial
Memorial
A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person or an event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or art objects such as sculptures, statues or fountains, and even entire parks....
runestone that was discovered at Helenelund, which is in Barkarby
Barkarby
Barkarby is a district of Järfälla Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden and part of the contiguously built-up Stockholm urban area.Barkarby has a station of the Stockholm commuter rail network.-1912 Summer Olympics:...
, Stockholm County
Stockholm County
Stockholm County is a county or län on the Baltic sea coast of Sweden. It borders Uppsala County and Södermanland County. It also borders Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The city of Stockholm is the capital of Sweden. Stockholm County is divided by the historic provinces of Uppland and Södermanland...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, which was in the historic province of Uppland
Uppland
Uppland is a historical province or landskap on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea...
.
Description
The inscription on U Fv1953;263, which is 1.8 meters in height and made of granite, is classified as being carved in runestone style Pr5, which is also known as Urnes styleUrnes style
The Urnes style was the last phase of Scandinavian animal art during the second half of the 11th century and in the early 12th century. The preceding phases of Scandinavia's Viking Age animal ornamentation are usually categorized as Oseberg style, Borre style, Jelling style, Mammen style and...
. This is the classification for text within runic bands with serpent or beast heads that are depicted in profile with almond-shaped eyes. The text, unlike many Viking Age inscriptions, is read from the tail of the serpent counterclockwise towards its head. A cross
Christian cross
The Christian cross, seen as a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is the best-known religious symbol of Christianity...
is near the top of the stone. The stone was discovered during construction of an access road on October 20, 1953, and is currently raised at the entrance to the Kummeby church.
The runic text, which is missing in one section of the damaged runestone, states that the stone was raised by Helga in memory of her husband Svertingr and her sons Eysteinn and Hemingr. The text ends with "and Ígulfastr," who is understood as being the runemaster
Runemaster
A runemaster or runecarver is a specialist in making runestones.Most early medieval Scandinavians were probably literate in runes, and most people probably carved messages on pieces of bone and wood. However, it was difficult to make runestones, and in order to master it one also needed to be a...
who carved the inscription. U Fv1953;263 is the only surviving runestone signed by Ígulfastr, although the inscription on U 961
Vaksala Runestone
The Vaksala Runestone, designated as U 961 under the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone that is located in Vaksala parish near Uppsala, Sweden.-Description:...
in Vaksala states that it was arranged by Ígulfastr and carved by the runemaster Öpir
Öpir
Öpir or Öper was a runemaster who flourished during the late 11th century and early 12th century in Uppland, Sweden...
. Stylistically the work of Ígulfastr is very similar to that of Öpir, although it is not known which runemaster influenced the other. The runic text uses a bind rune
Bind rune
A bind rune is a ligature of two or more runes. They are extremely rare in Viking Age inscriptions, but are common in pre-Viking Age and in post-Viking Age inscriptions....
, which is a ligature, combining an a-rune and l-rune
Laguz
*Laguz or *Laukaz is the reconstructed Proto-Germanic name of the l-rune , *laguz meaning "water" or "lake" and *laukaz meaning "leek". In the Anglo-Saxon rune poem, it is called lagu "ocean". In the Younger Futhark, the rune is called lögr "waterfall" in Icelandic and logr "water" in Norse.The...
in the name Svertingr. In addition, the runemaster connected the u-rune
Ur (rune)
The reconstructed Proto-Germanic name of the Elder Futhark u rune is *Ūruz meaning "wild ox" or *Ûram "water". It may have been derived from the Raetic alphabet character u as it is similar in both shape and sound value...
and l-rune in his signature. In some names on runestones, bind runes may have been ornamental and used to highlight the name. Lastly, an h-rune
Haglaz
*Haglaz or *Hagalaz is the reconstructed Proto-Germanic name of the h-rune , meaning "hail" .In the Anglo-Saxon futhorc, it is continued as haegl and in the Younger Futhark as hagall The corresponding Gothic letter is h, named hagl.The Elder Futhark letter has two variants, single-barred and...
was left off at the beginning of the names Helga and Hemingr.
The Rundata designation for this Uppland inscription, U Fv1953;263, refers to the year and page number of the issue of Fornvännen
Fornvännen
Fornvännen is a Swedish academic journal in the fields of archaeology and Medieval art. It is published quarterly by the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters in Stockholm, Sweden. The journal's contributions are written in the Scandinavian languages, English, or German with summaries in English...
in which the runestone was first described. The runestone is known locally as the Kummelbystenen.
Inscription
Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters
- elka ' lit raisa stain ' eftiR ' sua=rtik ' b... ... ... -t ' eystain ' uk ' at ' emink ' suni ÷ sina ' in ' ikulfastr
Transcription into Old Norse
- Hælga let ræisa stæin æftiR Sværting, b[onda] ... ... [a]t Øystæin/Æistæin ok at Hæming, syni sina. En Igulfastr [risti].
Translation in English
- Helga had the stone raised in memory of Svertingr, (her) husbandman ... ... in memory of Eysteinn and in memory of Hemingr, her sons. And Ígulfastr carved.
External links
- Photograph from 2001 - Swedish National Heritage Board